Turn

Description:

AKA Turn: Washington's Spies
Follows Long Island farmer, Abe Woodhull, who bands together with a group of childhood friends to form The Culper Ring, an unlikely group of spies who turn the tide in America's fight for independence.

User Thoughts:

I've been craving something of quality along these lines set in this period ever since that magnificent HBO John Adams miniseries of five or six years ago. I feel like failing on my knees and thanking the TV gods that AMC made the shift into television, because BOY do they do it right.

What's so refreshing about this series is the glimpse it gives us into the daily lives of regular citizens on Long Island attempting to negotiate their lives during this turbulent period in our history. Stories of this era often focus exclusively on the political figures and the generals involved.

These are people who have grown up together and in many cases been driven apart due to the respective sides they've chosen in the conflict, Tory vs Patriot. There are no real villains in this equation, since it's possible to make a good faith argument both for the rightness of maintaining allegiance to the Crown and the rightness of seeking independence due to unjust treatment.

It's fascinating to watch these political allegiances play out within the context of relationships, impacting friendships, romantic couplings, even family relations.

The spy angle is intriguing, well integrated into the story, and hooks you from the start. The acting, directing, cinematography, as so often with AMC, all top notch. Hooked, thrilled, emotionally invested, can't wait to see more!

Turn

Goofs:

We know about 2 Goofs. Here comes one of them: Factual errors Contrary to what is shown in the series Robert Rogers was not Scottish. Though he did lead troops for the British during the Revolutionary War Rogers was originally born in Massachusetts.

Trivia:

There are 6> entries in the trivia list - like these:

The real Robert Rogers authored a set of rules of warfare known as '28 Rules of Ranging' which, in one form or another, has been used by various units of the United States Army, including the 75th Ranger Regiment, to this day.

The real John Simcoe was actually a beloved figure in Canada accomplishing many charitable civic acts, and was a staunch abolitionist, likely not at all the villainous sociopath as he was portrayed in the show. He actually did lead the Queen's York Rangers in the war, and went on to found the city of York which would later become Toronto.

Abraham Woodhull didn't marry Mary Smith until 1781.

Benedict Arnold, while the son of an alcoholic, was also raised in a wealthy household and became a very successful businessman in his own right starting with an apothecary shop. He only changed sides in the war when he had already given his all for the Colonial side and was being mistreated and ignored. He beggared himself to equip his troops and requested compensation and recognition, which was not forthcoming. Washington himself continually neglected his most accomplished general, passing him over for promotion in favor of those less-deserving and promising re-payment time and time again, to no avail.